"Koko~"
"Shit."
Valko groans, his chest clenching with a sudden rush of dread.
Beneath him, you lift your head, eyes widening. "Who-"
"My sister," he whispers through gritted teeth. He pushes himself off of you, looking over the others while he scours the collection of clothing on the floor for his boxers. On the couch across the room from his bed, Zayne covers his bare lower half with a pillow, while Caleb scrambles for a blanket. On the bed, Xavier hastily pulls the comforter over himself and you, while Rafayel and Sylus move with little urgency to cover themselves up.
"Valko, I know you're here!"
"Fuck." Valko gives up searching and grabs Sylus's robe off of the back of the door, wrapping it around himself. He highly regrets giving his sister a key to his apartment. "Stay here. Don't make a sound. I'll be back."
Valko opens the door just wide enough to slide through, closing it behind him. He finds his sister snooping through his mudroom, tail wagging in broad strokes.
"Did you get new shoes?" she teases with a wide grin, grabbing your pair of heels. "I bet you look gorgeous in these."
Valko frowns and crosses his arms. "Why are you here?"
She gives him a playful pout, carefully setting the heels back down. "Is that any way to greet your favorite sister?"
"You're my only-" He sighs heavily. She giggles.
"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop teasing. Grandma's the real reason I'm here," she says, leaning in the doorway. "She's upset with you, y'know. You've been skipping so many family reunions."
The annoyance dissipates in a flash, leaving behind a pang of sadness. He leans back against the wall, tail tucked between his legs. "I'm sorry. Tell her I'll make the next one, I promise."
Truthfully, after entering this new relationship, his limited free time has been spread thin—on top of the quality time and dates with each of his partners, it's rare that their seven schedules line up perfectly for a date night. While skipping out on family gatherings hurt him, a decision had to be made.
"It's because of them, isn't it?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
He chokes on his spit, coughing hard. "What? Who?"
"You're not sneaky, little bro. Every time I see you, you reek of them." Heat spreads through his cheeks as he ducks his head in embarrassment. She giggles. "Aww, I've never seen you so shy, Ko," she teases, walking to his side.
Gently, she grabs his chin and lifts his head so their eyes meet. "You don't have to be shy," she says, her voice softening. "You've been glowing these past few months. It's clear they make you happy."
Sighing shakily, he nods. "They really do."
"Obviously, take your time, but we'd all love to meet the people that make our Valko so happy again. And make him act like a shy little pup."
"If you keep teasing me, you're never meeting them," he grumbles, getting a laugh out of her.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your date. I'm off now." She gives him a quick scratch under the chin, finally making him smile. "I'll see you soon?"
"See you soon. Love you, sis."
"I love you too. Nice robe, by the way."
She walks out the door, and as soon as it shuts behind her, he exhales, his head thumping against the wall.
The mood is officially dead, and his little secret is out. Perhaps it was never even a secret in the first place.
Wonderful.
